Table game with magnetic playing element



Sept. 8, 1959 w MUNRQ ET AL' 2,903,264

TABLE GAME WITH MAGNETIC PLAYING ELEMENT Filed 001;. 15, 1957 H\|VENTOR cryzwhy /flm United States Patent TABLE GAME WITH MAGNETIC PLAYING ELEMENT William H. Munro and Donald H. Munro, Jr., Burlington, Ontario, Canada Application October 1 5, 1957, Serial No. 690,273

7 Claims. (Cl. 273-85) This invention relates to improvement in game apparatus of the parlor type in which there is provided a game board having a playing surface on which there is arranged one or more game pieces for flicking a game element towards a localized object Within the confines of the playing surface. The playing element may be a disc, sphere or the like adapted to be projected along the playing surface by a flicking action on the part of the game piece. The playing element may be shot towards a goal or other object as for instance in the play of a game of hockey.

In prior art games of the kind referred to, a game piece is arranged on the playing surface to rotate about a vertical axis under the influence of a controlled mechanism which is usually of the manual type. The flicking device is only capable of acting on the playingelement with a pushing action and, therefore, is largely limited in placing the playing element for making the goal shot or other play in the game.

Hence, it is a major object of the present invention to provide a playing element and a game piece having relative magnetic attraction so as to increase the number of possible plays in the manipulation of the game piece, for example: a

The game piece may function not only to push the play ing element but to also drag it into a desirable position for making a shot or pass in the play of the game. A further example is that the game piece when in the form of a player holding a hockey stick can. attract the playing element to the tip of the hockey stick and bring it into position where it can be controlled for a propelling movement which would ordinarily not be possible without the magnetic attraction. These and other plays can be had by means of the magnetic attraction to the end that there is provided a more interesting game. Either the playing element or the game piece may he possessed of magnetic properies. Desirably however the playing element is made magnetic so as to have a terminal magnetic surface whereas the game piece is provided with a terminal surface capable of being attracted magnetically. A selected embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. l is a fragmentary plan view of a hockey game embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing one of the game pieces mounted to rotate on the board by means of a manual control.

Fig. 3 shows in solid lines the game piece in contact with a playing element. The game piece and the playing element are shown in a second position in broken lines to which position the playing element has been pulled along the playing surface by the game piece while making a shot.

Fig. 4 shows the playing element in the form of a disc, having a permanent magnet diametrically arranged in it.

Fig. 5 is a similar view but shows a permanent bar magnet centrally disposed in the disc.

2,903,264 Patented Sept. 8, 1959 Fig. 6 shows a permanent bar magnet arranged at one side of a disc.

Fig. 7 is another variant in which the disc is provided with several magnets radially arranged and Fig. 8 shows a further modification in which a spherical playing element is fitted with a bar magnet extending therethrough from one side to the other.

Our present invention is illustrated by way of example but not of limitation as embodied in a hockey game of the kind shown in our co-pending application, Serial No. 680,165, filed August 26, 1957, now abandoned. It is to be understood however, that the instant invention is not in any way confined to such a game, the association is merely intended to illustrate the advantages of incorporating the present invention in a game of this kind.

The hockey game comprises a game board which may be of the generally elongated rectangular shape commonly employed and providing a field plate 11 having a playing surface 12. This playing surface is conventionally made up to represent a regular hockey rink including the circles 13 imprinted or otherwise delineated on the playing surface.

The playing element retaining walls are indicated at 14 which extend about the playing surface. One of the goals is indicated at 15 and the goalkeeper for this goal is denoted at 16. Only two of the game pieces are shown, and each is denoted at 17 and comprises a standard 18 projecting upwardly through a hole in the field plate 11 and rotatably supported therein by suitable means for rotation about an axis perpendicular to the playing surface 12 of the field plate. The game piece is a flicking device and is in the form of a metal plate, having imprinted on each side face a representation of a hockey player holding a hockey stick having its blade part disposed radially of said perpendicular axis and removed outwardly therefrom. The plate is fixed on the standard and below the field plate there is a manual control in the form of a rod 19 horizontally arranged and supported in members 20 and 21 for rotationwhen turned by finger pressure applied to the manual grip 22 which is located exteriorly of the game board. The rod is geared to the standard 18 as indicated at 23. From this it will be understood that by turning the rod a flicking motion can be imparted .to the game piece and the game piece can be turned in either direction at the will of the operator.

The playing element, which is in the form of a puck denoted at 24, is of the usual disc shape, the body portion is made of a material that is non-magnetizable, e.g., wood, and embedded in the body is a magnet indicated at 25 which magnet is of the permanent bar type. Its ends are flush with the peripheral Wall of the puck body. The strength of the magnet is such that when the puck is attracted to the game piece, it can be pulled about the playing surface as desired and also can be shot by a flicking action on the part of the game piece. In the variant form of the puck shown in Fig. 5 the only difference is that the magnet indicated at 26 is arranged centrally. In the further variant form of the puck shown in Fig. 6, the magnet is radially arranged at one side of the puck as indicated at 27.

In Fig. 7 several of the radial magnets are shown and designated at 28.

Fig. 8 shows a spherical form, a puck denoted at 29 provided with a bar magnet 30.

From the preceding description it will be gathered that our invention introduces a great many plays to the game which are not possible without the use of the relative magnetic properties as between the game piece and the playing element.

By turning to Fig. 3 it will be seen that when the puck is magnetically attracted to the player, the operator of the player can rotate it to pull the puck into place While making a desired shot either towards the goal or otherwise as called for in the play of the game. In Fig. 3 the playing element at the right hand side of the goal is shown in a second position in broken lines to indicate in conjunction with the use of the arrows the manner of: dragging the puck around to position it for making a shot at the goal. The player at the left hand side of the goal is shown in the second position'i'n broken lines indicating how the puck is pulled and shot across the board. These are only a few of many possible plays that can be made by the use of the magnetic puck.

Actually there are a number of plays made possible by the use of this invention beyond the normal range of plays capable of being performed conventionally. The

puck can be pushed or pulled and is not required to be of any specific shape. It can be spherical if so desired. An advantageous feature is that a game piece can be manipulated to attract the puck to the tip of the hockey stick where ordinarily it would be impossible to have any control over the puck. Further, the game piece can be operated to reach for the puck and actually put it back into play whereas without the magnetic means, a game piece could only be operated to touch the puck with the end of the stick without effectively moving it.

A still further feature is that a game piece can be manipulated to approach the puck on occasions and ab tract it when it happens to be just beyond the range of movement of the game piece.

Having described the invention in a selected embodiment, it will be understood that such changes and variations may be resorted to as comewithin the ensuing claims.

What we claim is:

1. In a game apparatus, means providing a playing surface, a target mounted on said playing surface, a puckforming playing element adapted to be projected along said playing surface toward said target in the play of the game, and a flicking device having a blade element supported to move with a to and fro action within the confines of said playing surface for projecting said puckfor'ming playing element toward said target, said puckforming playing element and said blade element characteri-zed in that one of them is supplied with a magnetic 4 playing element and said flicking device having relative magnetic attraction of a low value so that the flicking device may move the puck-forming playing element along said playing surface into a position for projecting it in a predetermined course toward said target.

3. A game apparatus as specified in claim 2, in which the puck-forming playing element is fitted with a permanent magnet to supply the specified magnetic attraction.

4. A game apparatus as specified in claim 1 in which the puck-forming playing element is provided with a peripheral magnetic surface, and the'flicking device has a blade of a hockey stick which is made of a magnetizable metal suited to be magnetically attracted by said magnetic surface of said puck-forming playing element.

5. A game apparatus as specified in claim 2, in which the flicking device extends radially of said perpendicular axis and has a surface portion remote from said perpendicular axis and adapted to be magnetically attracted, and in which the puck-forming playing element comprises a permanent magnet which forms at least a portion of a terminal surface of said puck-forming playing element.

6. In a game apparatus, a board providing a playing surface, a target mounted on said playing surface, a standard upstanding from said playing surface and mounted to rotate about an axis, a flicker radially mounted on said standard, said flicker having a magnetizable radiallyextended blade portion, manual means for manipulating said flicker, and a puck adapted to be projected along said playing surface toward said target and having a permanent magnet providing a terminal surface by which said blade portion of said puck is capable of being attracted to said magnetizable portion of said flicker with area and the other is provided with an area which is attracted by the magnetic field of said magnetic area for attaching said puck-forming playing element to the blade element with a magnetic force just sufficient 'to enable the puck-forming playing element to be manoeuvered about said playing surface to place it for directional projection without hindering its being projected with a detaching action in a desired course of movement along-said playing surface.

2. In a game apparatus, means providing a playing surface, a target mounted on said playing surface, a puckforming playing element adapted to be projected along said playing surface toward said target in the play of the game, and a flicking device swingable about an axis perpendicular to said playing surface, said puck-forming a low. magnetic force merely sufficient formoving said puck into a position for projecting it in predetermined course toward said target.

7. In a game apparatus having a playing surface, a target mounted on said playing surface, a puck adapted to be projected along said playing surface toward said target in the play of the game, and a plurality of radial flickers distributed on said playing surface, each flicker swingably mounted thereon about a vertical axis, said puck and said flickers having relative magnetic attraction remote from said axis whereby each flicker may pull the puck into a position for projecting it in a predetermined course toward said target, the value of the magnetic attraction being such as to enable the puck to detach itself under a flicking action.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 581,678 Nesbit Apr. 27, 1897 1,793,480 Goriup Feb. 24, 1931 2,698,179 Widegren et al. Dec. 28, 1954 2,767,517 Hooper Oct. 23, 1956 

